1. Technical Field
This invention is in the field of exercise equipment. More specifically, this invention is in the field of climbing exercise apparatuses.
2. The Relevant Technology
The desire to improve health and enhance cardiovascular efficiency has increased in recent years. This desire has been coupled with the desire to exercise in locations which are compatible with working out within a limited space such as within an individual's home or exercise gym. This trend has led to an increased desire for the production of exercise equipment.
Climbing apparatuses have become very popular in recent years. Climbing requires a user to raise the user's knees in continual, strenuous strides. Climbing typically requires more exertion than mere walking on a flat surface. Consequently, the exercise of climbing can provide a more intense, challenging workout.
Climbing exercise apparatuses typically feature an endless moving assembly which is set on a significant angle and has a series of circulating foot supports, steps, or paddles. This configuration requires the exerciser to engage in continual climbing motions and allows the exerciser to simulate the movements of climbing up a steep incline. Angled, moving staircase-type devices are typical examples of such climbing apparatuses.
However, typical climbing apparatuses within the art are tall and often require more ceiling height than is available in an exerciser's home. This phenomenon is typically due at least in part to large moving steps or paddles which require a necessary amount of clearance above a floor. The steep angle of the climbing apparatuses also contributes to the height of the machines. Thus, such climbing apparatuses often require a high-ceiling gym, a warehouse, or a vaulted ceiling for use. Typical climbing apparatuses also comprise a variety of different, complicated moving parts.
Treadmill apparatuses also offer a popular form of exercise, e.g., running and walking. A variety of different styles of treadmills have been produced. Certain treadmill apparatuses which fit into a user's home incline from a neutral position to an inclined position, then decline back to the neutral position. However, typical treadmills fail to adequately provide a user with the kind of terrain experience encountered when climbing mountainous, rocky, and rough terrain. Furthermore, hiking typically requires a great deal of lateral movement i.e. side-to-side movement to stabilize footings and leg movements. Typical treadmills, however, are designed for length rather than width. In other words, typical treadmills are long and thin.
What is therefore needed is an exercise apparatus which simulates the dynamic of natural terrain with its accompanying slopes and inclines and can fit into a user's home or another location with a limited ceiling height. What is also needed is an exercise apparatus which is convenient to manufacture, assemble and service.